fiscal cliff and into next year. 2013 will be the year for these big deals on entitlements, taxes, and spending. >> the president has invited the leaders to the white house. what else is happening in this coming week that people need to know about? >> the republicans will have their leadership elections. we are expecting that john boehner will remain the speaker and erick kcantor will be the number two. there is not any major legislation on the floor of the house that we are expecting. >> the president is speaking again on wednesday on this and other issues. >> and using his post as the election pulpit to start the process. >> absolutely. >> a thank you for being here. an interesting couple weeks ahead for us to watch.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> watched grover norquist again at 6:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span. and about 30 minutes, president obama will participate in the presidential ceremony at the tomb of the unknowns. we will bring you live coverage here on c-span. while we wait, here's a look at the presidential election and congress from this morning's "washington journal." don >> he is still resolute in the face of defeat. >> not to see you. sometimes you win. sometimes you lose. >> this is tough. he is a close contender.

he has given credit for getting george bush elected in 2000. bbthe supreme court nominated george bush in 2000. since he has been in the white house has been brought about everything. he spent $300 million this year of other people's money. we do not know how much money he made for that deal. in nine senate races he got one win. he has spent maybe $170 million against barack obama and for mitt romney. he had a horrible record. on election night he tried to recreate florida 2000 on fox news by insisting that the network fox was wrong to in calling the election for president obama.

the number crunchers said, no, you are wrong. he made a fool of himself. still today he insists he is right. i would hope that nobody would give that guy a dollar to spend in any future election. i think his career in politics should be over. not that i feel strongly about this, but he also has this enormous conflict of interest. he is getting all of these people's money, spending it for mitt romney, then he is on fox news as a supposedly independent political commentator and is writing a column for "the wall street journal." there are so many conflicts there is a pleasure mind. host: and on the lecture circuit. guest: which, by the way, i am on that too. he has all kinds of things. his losing record is what points out that his time in american politics has come and gone. host: what is next for the political parties and the president? our guest is bill press. he concludes with these words --

there is a boundary to what luster accomplishes. the road he zoomed down in 2012 was toward a diminished place in his own party. guest:karl rove talked about a total realignment of the country for the republican party. but at the last few elections, and this one in particular. the republicans once again lost

the white house. they lost ground in the senate and a lost ground in the house. then you have rove saying "we won." he actually said we had a good night. who believes that other than rove? i think the party really needs -- others have said, they do need to do some real soul- searching. rove will never get there because he refuses to accept reality. host: this is what craig said -- guest: i would say if i were in -- michael steele is coming up next. $10,000 the michael steele will agree that when you look out at a party -- if you are a republican party leader and you look out and president obama got 55% of the female vote, he

got 71% of the latino vote, 93% of the african-american vote, 60% of young people's vote and mitt romney 1 one constituency, that you have a party whose message is not resonating with 21st century america. if you continue on the same track the party will keep losing ground. host: from "the weekly standard," in both cases president bush and president obama winning by a margin of victory by 2.4%. guest: that does not surprise me. i knew it was going to be minutes before the republican party through mitt romney under the bus. i do think he was a weak candidate, but the republicans nominated him as a behind him and insisted he was the answer to america's prayers. they did not have any choice.

when you look at the other choices in the primary, who would have done a better job? herman cain? michele bachmann? jeb bush did not run. they got stuck with mitt romney. host: california has gone from a republican to a purple to a solid democratic state. what has changed? ronald reagan winning back in 1984. guest: i am proud to take a little bit of credit for that four at one time being the democratic party chair in california. the republican party is a mirror of the national republican party in the sense that i think they lost track of where the country was moving. republican registration in ronald reagan's day was 63.5%

republican. today it is less than 30%. democrats did a good job of registering voters, but the republican party lost all of those people by their extreme right-wing philosophy and policies. host: pete wilson on the issue of immigration. why is that a mirror image? guest: we always had a hard time convincing latinos to vote, to register and to vote. we called them the sleeping giant. the sleeping giant woke up. he will send put an anti- immigration initiative on the ballot. the latino community came alive. a registered. now, they are a power in california and many other states.

that is what has been the republican party from behind. when you support comprehensive immigration reform like john mccain did but then refuse to do it when president obama is in the white house, when you have the nominee of the party, mitt romney, saying people should self deport. so their house and go back to mexico. you cannot win latino votes when you make war against them . what againstin california has happen nationwide. -- what has happened in california happened nationwide. i am not sure how much credit arthur davis has. i was disappointed when he left the party and supported mitt romney. i did not buy his reasons for doing so. i would disagree with him on this.

i do not think republicans should write off the african- american party at all. they are talking about jobs, improving the economy. if they are willing to save medicare and social security are going to stay, they can get african-american votes. to write them off as arthur davis suggested i think would be a colossal mistake. host: we will get to your calls in just a moment. you can also send us a comment on facebook or twitter. what surprised you about the election? guest: was surprised me was the breadth and the depth of president obama's victory. in this split america with 5% of people independent voters, i think it was a very decisive victory. if you look at all of the stories we were reflecting before hand, this will take months to figure out, this will go to the house of representatives. baloney.

president obama won the electoral vote 332-2 06. that is pretty solid. he won the popular vote by about 3 million votes, which is decisive. he won eight out of nine of the battleground states were all told were so close they could easily go to mitt romney. he did not lose in north carolina by much. host: were the polls wrong? guest: from my perspective there was too much attention to national polls. i think we have become a victim of posters. i blame those of us in the media for paying too much attention. we do not vote the way. we know that. every night on the news, what led the news, what was the first question i was asked. what do you think about the latest gallup poll. i have talked to pollsters who

say that gallup ought to be drummed out of business. they give everybody a bad name. nate silver, he got a lot of flak but he got it right. host: amy is on the phone from georgia. caller: good morning. i noticed throughout the campaigning that the republican politicians seemed to have complete contempt for the republican voter. they treated them as if they were low in formation, gullible, would fall for anything the, believe anything. when romney went to ohio and told a horrible embarrassing lie about jeep going to china. that tells me they feel the republican voter is somebody who can be led by the nose and

manipulated, can be fooled. i am wondering if that is a part of why mitt romney did so poorly? guest: i would see it a little bit differently. i do not think they were taking the republican voters for granted, i think they fail to reach beyond the republican base. that is the way i saw it. when is rape okay and when is it not ok? karen hughes said the next time i hear a republican questioning anything about rape, i want to person cut their time out.

when that happened, and it romney did not -- he said i support him and not what he said. he had to say that. he cannot alienate his face. -- base. they spend too much time calling in shoring up their base and not enough time reaching out to people whose vote they could have gotten. republicans could have won this presidential election. president obama was vulnerable. they blew it. > let's go to a viewer who says bill press calls out the pollsters as shysters. >> no i don't think all of them but i wouldn't trust their numbers on anything.

>> let's go to the independent line in pennsylvania. good morning. caller: good morning. if you could elaborate on two items. one is university of maryland and a couple of other schools have come out with studies that say if you watch fox news you're less informed than somebody who doesn't watch the news. and that's the results of the study. secondly, when boehner said the american people don't want tax increases, if you could remind folks that the house numbers for the democrats outweigh the republican numbers by half a million votes so all the people that won on the democratic side versus those where they still held the house, they were out voted by a half a million voters. host: thank for the call. guest: i do think it is true that regular fox watchers just like regular rush limbaugh

listeners live in a parallel universe and are often ill informed on the news. i adopt have to bash fox the studies show that. on the second point john boehner does say the american people don't want anybody's taxes to go up. i don't know what he bases that on. we go back to polls again but every other poll i've seen among democrats and republicans 75% of the american people think the wealthiest americans have had a good free ride for ten years and ought to go back to paying their good fair share. here is the thing, the biggest challenge facing these guys across the street right now particularly republicans in the house is between now and christmas. the choice is as president obama said friday there is a bill that passed the senate that would give 98% of americans, anybody making under $250,000 a

year a tax cut. republicans have to decide are they going to allow the 98% of americans to get a tax cut or are they going to hold them hostage to also get a tax cut for that 2%. this is a very clear issue and the first challenge for john boehner. 98% versus 2%. they have sided with the 2%. can he get them to give'9"% of americans the tax break? if not the republican party is even in more trouble. >> let's me show you this editorial. the republicans have no foothold or room to negotiate on this. the president is going to drive

the bargain. guest: the republicans are not dealing from strength. they were in 2010 when they elected 63 freshman and they could balk anything that the senate sent over there or pass anything they wanted. but john boehner was the first one to admit in a call to his caucus members they didn't win and when you don't win you're not dealing from a position of strength. president obama is. >> the next presidential election -- guest: don't ask me. host: this is the front page on sunday which hillary's next move.

she's stepping down as secretary of state. let me read to you "the new york times." >> if hillary clinton runs for president again she will be the best candidate, >> i know people ask that question and i'm not going to ask you whether you think she'll run but what is her decision making process moving forward? guest: first of all, let me say i'm a huge hillary fan. i am the president of the hillary clinton fan club. i supported her in 2008 over barack obama. so if she ran for president i'd be very excited. i plead for time out. here is what is wrong. if we in the media start speculating about 2016, even about 2014 we are not doing our jobs. i got to say that because we can't -- here is what is wrong with this country today our perpetual campaigns. it's not supposed work that

way. you have a campaign you fight like hell and win or lose and then you take time out to govern. and that's what these people across the street have to do not campaign mode but fix problems. i know i sound like i'm preaching. take time out from a campaign and let us start talking about the issues and informing people about climate change and the fiscal cliff and immigration reform and stop this speculation about joe biden or hillary clinton or anybody else. let's pass a law, you can't talk about it until 2015. host: we're going to be covering mario this week.

republican line, good morning frank. caller: good morning. i think mitt romney was a victim of the tax code. it's pretty difficult to imagine that a guy that's making millions is paying 14% tax. and i'm a republican and many republican friend who pay 20, 30% t. tax code has to be taken to the smithsonian institute but the lobbyist have ruined this country. all income should be ordinary income and should be taxed as such. people get their original deduction. they get 10% for mortgage interest or whatever they want

but everything else is taxed. three bracts and you pay down the debt. that's what congress has to do. it's not this loophole or that >> we are live at in arlington national cemetery. president obama is observing this holiday. he is expected to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. we also expect to hear from air action secchi -- eric senseke.

>> miss catherine, and then,

executive director of the national cemetery program. mr. patrick j., a superintendent arlington national cemetery and his spouse. mr. richard a delaney, national president, and his spouse. major general michael, commanding general of the united states army military trichet of washington and his spouse.

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♪ ♪ america the beautiful ♪ ♪

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[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen please welcome commanding general united states army military district of washington.

executive director army national cemeteries program. national president of the retired enlisted association and the secretary of veterans affairs. [applause] >> all rise. ♪ ♪ ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. ♪ ♪ [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the parade of colors. the band will perform the national emblem march, please place your hand over your heart or render a salute. ♪ ♪

>> please remain standing for the prayer for all veterans delivered by acting director of the veterans affairs chaplain service. >> please join me in prayer. eternal god we seek your blessing this morning as we come together united as one people to honor veterans of every generation. each time we come to arlington and stand in this sacred place

we feel your presence along with all who are memliesed here. so we come today be thankful hearts knowing well we oh our very existence as a nation to veterans living and dead who dedicated their lives to the cause of freedom. as we honor our veterans we also remember their families and loved ones. we know that they too have sacrificed much in support of their military men and women in times of war and peace. today we remember our veterans who have returned from the battle to face unexpected challenges at home. help them to take their skills and build new and meaningful lives in the cities and rural communities all across our land. we pray for our military members who are serving in

harm's way in afghanistan and around the world. may they know that a grateful nation remembers and honors their service. now may your presence bring healing and comfort to our nation's veterans and their families. hear our prayer for veterans, amen. >> now i'd like to invite national president of the retired association to lead us in our pledge of alegions. >> i pledge alean jens to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, inddwissable with liberty and justice for all. >> please be seated.

it is now by distinct privilege to introduce the members of the veterans day national committee. the committee was formed in 1954 to hold in observance in honor of american's veterans tooned encourage and support veterans day observance throughout the nation. please hold your applause. if you're able please stand when i call your name. rick delaneny retired enlisted association. harold congressional medal of honor society. larry national commander disabled american veterans. national president military officers association of america, stephen legislative director american veterans. james national president korean

war veterans association. albert gansalless american g.i. forum. sheldon national commander jewish war veterans of the usa. national commander american exprisoners of war. national commander catholic war veterans of the u.s.a. william meeks, secretary vietnam veterans of america. john hamilton commander in chief foreign wars of the united states. national commander am vets. sam hunt blinded veterans association. john national commander army and navy union of the u.s.a. national commander non-commissioned officers, national commander the american legion, national commander

military order of the purple heart of the u.s.a., national president fleet southeast reve association, national come dant marine corps league. national president military chaplains association, national president particle liesed veterans of america, national commander legion of valor of the u.s.a., commander and chief military order of the world wars, president national association for uniform services, the associate members of the committee are located in the boxes to my left. i'd like to ask the presidents and national commappeders of our associate members to be recognized. ladies and gentlemen please recognize our veterans national leadership with your applause. [applause]

it is now my pleasure to introduce our veterans organization host. founded in 1963 the retired enlisted association is dedicated to enhancing the qualityty of life for enlisted personnel their families and survivers including active duty reserves narnl guard and all retirees. the association is represented today by their national president retired air force master sergeant rick delaneny. a vietnam veteran he reside in georgia. please welcome mr. rick delaneny. [applause] thank you.

president obama, secretary, members of congress, members of the armed services, ladies and gentlemen, fellow veterans, and friends it is an honor and a privilege for the retired enlisted association to host this years veteran day ceremonies and i want to welcome each of you here. mr. president, congratulations on your reelection to office. [applause] secretary i especially want to thank you for your service to our nation both as an army office and secretary of veterans affairs. because of your personal experience, you're leadership of the v.a. is not just another job. you know firsthand what can happen to those who serve and how important it is that our nation take care of its veterans. we are here today to recognize

and honor the service and sacrifice of all those who have worn one of the yuan forms of your nation's armed services. whether they served in a combat scene like iraq or afghanistan or remote destination or somewhere around the world or right here in the united states, they all gave more than lip service to their country. they gave part of their lives and some gave so much more, so much more. we honor them today because they stepped forward when their nation called. we also remind our fell citizens that taking care of veterans, keeping the promises made to them is a cost of defending our nation. veterans have kept faith of our nation, our nation must ensure that it keeps faith with its veterans. perhaps you saw in the news a couple of weeks ago a story about a world war ii japanese american veteran who even

though he was placed in a camp after the start of the war, he volunteered to serve in the army. in an interview he gave a number of years ago he said i wanted to do my part to prove that i was not an enemy alien. that none of us were. that we were true americans. fand we ever got the chance we would do our best to serve our country and we did. the story was newsworthy because he was ailing and cast his vote by absentee ballot just one week before he passed away. i believe he embody what it means to be a veteran. one of the greatest greeks who ever lived said freedom is the sheer possession of those who have the courage to defend it. today at the 11th hour of the

11th month 11th day we honor those millions who have defended our nation and remind the citizens of the debt that is ode to all veterans. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen please welcome the secretary of veterans affairs. [applause] >> haung very much. what a beautiful day. let me say mr. president congratulations to you and the vice president on your reelection. [applause] let me also congratulate the

first lady and dr. biden for their leadership and support for veterans and veterans' families. [applause] medal of honor recipients, other department of defense leaders, and leaders of our uniform services in the case of our own department our deposit tear secretary, other v.a. colleagues and once again national president of the retired enlisted association, our co-host for this year's celebration, representatives of all of our other veteran service organizations, fellow veterans, other distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen, 94 years ago today the guns of world war i fell silent all

along the western front. today we gather at this sacred national shrine to honor and thank americans of every generation who throughout our history have answered the call of duty to safe guard our nation during time of war and during periods of restless peace. 22 million veterans, american veterans today have distinguished themselves by their service in uniform. their devotion and sacrifice are the bedrock of our sovereignty as a nation, our values as a people, our security as a democracy and our offer of hope to those in other lands who dream of the freed ms that we enjoy. the service of veterans has provided all of us the gift of liberty. though the doe boys of world war i are gone, our veterans today represent every other

generation since. and so as we gather today before the start of the coming seasons of both thanksgiving and gift giving, we are grateful for the blessings bestowed on our country. this legacy of liberty continues. for the past 11 years the men and women of our armed forces have stood watch in iraq and afghanistan but also europe and co-ree and more than 150 other countries around the globe. more than 1.5 million veterans have served in combat in the combat theeters of iraq and afghanistan and the horn of africa. since 9/11 nearly 3 million veterans have departed the military having full filled their duty to the nation. nearly four years ago the president asked me to do two things. first, make things better for veterans now. and then transform the department of veterans affairs to better serve veterans well into the 21st century.

understand doing so he also provided leadership and support that resulted in increases to the v.a.'s budgets by nearly 40% between 2009 and this year 201. these are the resources which have grately enhanced the care and services we're able to provide to millions of veterans. well over 800,000 of them have been added to v.a. healthcare role since 2009. compensation for 3.3 million veterans including more than 359 who are 100% disabled. over $10 billion in education benefits to more than veterans and eligible family members. finally the country's largest cemetery system, 131 semitares where veterans are laid to rest and national slines befitting

their service and sacrifice. and finally one last time let me acknowledge the wonders accomplished by the first lady and dr. biden. i want to thank them both for the genuine care and concern they have for service members, for veterans and their families. veterans count ask for stronger advocates than the president, the vice president, the first lady and dr. biden. and that is why ladies and gentlemen it's my great personal and professional honor to present to you our commander in chief the president of the united states of america barack obama. [applause] . >> thank you. thank you so much. please everybody be seated. good morning everyone.

thank you secretary for a lifetime of service for our nation and for being such an advocate on behalf of american's veterans including your fellow vietnam veterans. to rick delaney, to vice president biden, and admiral and major general, our outstanding veteran service organizations, our men and women in uniform, active guard and reserve, and most of all to the proud veterans and family members joining us in this sacred place, it is truly a privilege and an honor to be with all of you here today. each year on the 11th day of the 11th month we pause as a nation and as a people to pay tribute to you, to thank you, to honor you.

the heroes over the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction. moments ago i laid a wreath to remember every service member who has ever worn our nation's uniform. this day first and foremost belongs to them and their loved ones. to the father and mother, the husband and wife, the brother and sister, the comrade and the friend who when we leave here today will continue to walk these quiet hills and kneel before the final resting place of those they cherish most. on behalf of the american people, i say to you that the memory of your loved ones carries on not just in your hearts but in ours as well. i assure you that their sacrifice will never be forgotten. for it is in that sacrifice

that we see the enduring spirit of america. since even before our founding, we have been blessed with an unbroken chain of patriots who have always come forward to serve. whenever america has come under attack, you've risen to her defense. whenever our freed ms have come under assault, you've responded with resolve. time and again, at home and abroad, you and your families have sacrificed to protect that powerful promise that all of us hold so deer, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. today the proud nation expresses our gratty tuesday. but we do so mind thaffle no ceremony or pa raid no hug or handshake is enough to truly honor that service. for that we must do more.

for that we must commit this day and every day to serving you as well as you've served us. when i spoke here three years ago i spoke about today's generation of service members. this 9/11 generation who stepped forward after the towers fell and in the years since have stepped into history writing one of the greatest chapters in military service our country has ever noned. you toppled a dictator and battled insurgency in iraq. you decimated al qaeda in afghanistan. you delivered justice to osama bin laden. tour after tour, year after year you and your families have done all that this country has asked. you've done that and more. three years ago i promised your generation that when your tour

comes to an end, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you'll be welcomed home to an america that will forever fight for you as hard as you fought for us. as long as i'm your commander in chief that is the promise we will never stop working to keep. this is the first veterans day in a decade in which there are no american troops fighting and diing in iraq. [applause] 33,000 of our troops have returned from afghanistan and the transition there is under wafmente after a decade of war, our heroes are coming home. and over the next few years more than a million service members will transition back into civilian life.

they will take off their yuan forms and take on a new and lasting role. they will be veterans. as they come home, it falls to us, their fell citizens to be there for them and their families. not just now but always. not just for the first few years but for as long as they walk this erth. to this day we still care for a child of a civil war veteran. to this day we still care for over 100 spouses and children of the men who fought in the spanish american war. just last year i came here to pay tribute at frank buckles the last american veteran of world war i was laid to rest. frank stepped up and served in world war i for two years but the united states of america kept its commitment to serve him for many decades that

followed. so long after the battles end, long after our heroes come home, we stay by their side. that's who we are and that's who we will be for today's returning service members and their families because no one who fights for this country overseas should ever have to fight for a job or a roof over their head or the care that they have earned when they come home. [applause] we know the most urgent task is finding a new way to serve. that's why we made it a priority to help you find jobs worthy of your incredible skills and talents. that's why thanks to the work of michelle and joe biden our businesses have trained 125,000 veterans and military spouses. that's why we're transforming

for the first time in decades how the military transitions service members from the battlefield toths work place. and because you deserve to share in the opportunities that you defend, we are making sure that the post 9/11 g.i. bill stays strong so you can earn a college education and pursue your dreams. [applause] if you find yourself struggling with the wounds of war, such as post traumatic stress disorder or brian injuries, we'll be there for you as well with the care and treatment you need. no veteran should have to wait months or years for the benefits that you've earned. so we will continue to attack the claims backlog, we won't let up. we will not let up. [applause] and as we mark the 50th

anniversary of the vietnam war we have secured new benefits for those veterans exposed to agent original. you needed it, we fought for it and we got it done. [applause] . that's what we do in america. we take care of our own. we take care of our veterans. we take care of your families. not just by saluting you on one day once a year but by fighting for you and your families every day of every year. that's our obligation. a sacred obligation to all of you and it's an obligation that we gladly accept for officers. six months ago taylor was serving our nation in afghanistan and as a member of an explosive ordnance disposele team his job was one of the

most dangerous there is, to lead the way through territory littered with hidden explosives to clear the way for his brothers in arms. on may 3rd while out on patrol taylor stepped on an i.e.d. the blast through him into the air and when he hit the ground he reltsed both his legs were gone and his left arm. and his right hand. but as he lay there fully conscious bleeding to death, he cautioned the medics to wait before rushing his way. he feared another i.e.d. was nearby. taylor's concern wasn't for his own life, it was for theirs. eventually they cleared the area, they tended to his wounds. they cared him tauf battlefield and days later he was cared to

walter reid where he was only the 5th american to survive the mpation of all four limbs. his recovery has been long and it's captivated the nation. a few months after the attack with the help of prosthetics, the love and support of his family and above all his girlfriend who never left his side. he wasn't just walking again. in avid owe that went viral the world watched he and daniel dance again. i've often said the most humbling part of my job is serving as commander in chief and one of the reasons is every day i get to meet heroes. i met taylor and then in july at the white house i presented him with a purple heart. and right now hanging on a wall

is a photo of that day in the white house, a photo of him smiling wide and standing tall. i should point out that taylor couldn't make it here today because they are out kai acking . [applause] . in taylor we see the best of america, a spirit that says when we get knocked down we rise again. when times are tough, we come together. when one of us faulters, we lift them up. in this country we take care of our own, especially our veterans who have served us so bravely and sacrificed so selflessly in our name. and we carry on knowing that our best days always lie ahead.

on this day we thank all of our veterans from all of our wars, not just for your service to this country but for reminding us why america is and always will be the greatest nation on erth. god bless you, god bless our veterans, blod bless our men and women in uniform and blod bless these united states of america. thank you very much. [applause] >> please rise and join the united states navy band in singing god bless america.

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[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen please remain standing as we retire the colors. ♪ ♪

>> please be seated. this concludes the 2012 national veterans day obsesh vance. please be seated for the depar churet of the president of the united states. thank you for joining us today as we celebrate and honor all who served. [applause]

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>> watched the ceremony and president obama's remarks again at 2:30 -- at 6:30. >> these are the casualties of the spirit, the trouble in mind, men who are damaged emotionally. some require special therapy.

certain types of metal neurosis. >> you are a deep sleep. we are going back now. going back to okinawa. >> one of the most important procedures is groups such a therapy. with a psychiatrist, the patient learns to understand the basic causes of his distress. >> i would like to see if we can get some illustrations of how one's personal safety would stem from childhood safety. >> i was ashamed to go to my parents and tell them what i had done. i kept it to myself. >> this weekend, the 1946 john huston-directed "let there be light," a documentary for the u.s. army on combat, and treatment. the rarely seen and once-

censored work. >> i want my fiction to be intensely journalistic. intensely journalistic. unless you get out and look at what is going on these days, you are going to miss the things that are influencing yourself and everybody else. >> tom wolfe is live at 6:00 p.m. eastern. he will discuss his latest novel, back to blood, and his take on the city of miami, plus answer questions from the miami audience. david johnston looks at the ways corporations attempt to rob you blind. >> president obama's victory speech from election night. he defeated republican challenger mitt romney after florida was called for president

obama yesterday. this is a half-hour. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you. thank you so much. tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. [applause] it moves forward because of you.

it moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope -- the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an american family, and we rise or fall together, as one nation, and as one people. [applause] tonight, in this election, you, the american people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the united states of america, the best is yet to come. [applause]

i want to thank every american who participated in this election. [applause] whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time -- [applause] by the way, we have to fix that. [applause] whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone -- [applause] whether you held an obama sign or a romney sign, you made your voice heard, and you made a difference. [applause]

i just spoke with governor romney, and i congratulated him and paul ryan on a hard-fought campaign. [applause] we may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply, and we care so strongly about its future. from george to lenore to their son mitt, the romney family has chosen to give back to america through public service, and that is a legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. [applause] in the weeks ahead, i also look forward to sitting down with governor romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward. [applause]

i want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, america's happy warrior -- [applause] the best vice president anybody could ever hope for -- joe biden. [applause] and i wouldn't be the man i am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. [applause] let me say this publicly -- michelle, i have never loved you more. i have never been prouder to watch the rest of america fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady. [applause]

sasha and malia, before our very eyes, you're growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like your mom. [applause] and i'm so proud of you guys. but i will say that for now, one dog is probably enough. [laughter] to the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics -- [applause] the best. the best ever. [applause]

some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning. [applause] but all of you are family. no matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together, and you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley. [applause] you lifted me up the whole way. and i will always be grateful for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you put in. [applause] i know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly.

and that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics who tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos, or the domain of special interests. but if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies, and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late at a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you'll discover something else. you'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who's worked his way through college, and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. [applause] you'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. [applause]

you'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job, or a roof over their head when they come home. [applause] that's why we do this. that's what politics can be. that's why elections matter. it's not small. it's big. it's important. democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. we have our own opinions. each of us has deeply held

beliefs. and when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. that won't change after tonight -- and it shouldn't. these arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today. [applause] but despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for america's future.

we want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers -- [applause] a country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow. we want our children to live in an america that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. [applause] we want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this world has ever known -- [applause] but also a country that moves

with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. we believe in a generous america, in a compassionate america, in a tolerant america, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. [applause] to the young boy on the south side of chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner. [applause] to the furniture worker's child in north carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president. that's the future we hope for. that's the vision we share. that's where we need to go. forward.

[applause] that's where we need to go. now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. as it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. it's not always a straight line. it's not always a smooth path. by itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end all the gridlock, or solve all our problems, or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus, and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. but that common bond is where we must begin. our economy is recovering. a decade of war is ending. a long campaign is now over. [applause]

and whether i earned your vote or not, i have listened to you. i have learned from you. and you've made me a better president. with your stories and your struggles, i return to the white house more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do, and the future that lies ahead. [applause] tonight, you voted for action, not politics as usual. [applause] you elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. and in the coming weeks and months, i am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together -- reducing our

deficit, reforming our tax code, fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. we've got more work to do. [applause] but that doesn't mean your work is done. the role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote. america has never been about what can be done for us. it's about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. [applause] that's the principle we were founded on. this country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich.

we have the most powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. our university, culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. what makes america exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth -- the belief that our destiny is shared, that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another, and to future generations, that the freedom which so many americans have fought for and died for comes with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. that's what makes america great. [applause]

i am hopeful tonight because i have seen this spirit at work in america. i've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. i've seen it in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, and in those seals who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them, watching their back. [applause] i've seen it on the shores of new jersey and new york, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. [applause]

and i saw it just the other day in mentor, ohio, where a father told the story of his eight- year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything, had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care. [applause] i had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. and when he spoke to the crowd, listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. and i know that every american wants her future to be just as

bright. that's who we are. that's the country i'm so proud to lead as your president. [applause] and tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of washington, i've never been more hopeful about our future. [applause] i have never been more hopeful about america. and i ask you to sustain that hope. i'm not talking about blind optimism -- the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. i'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

i have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us, so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. [applause] america, i believe we can build on the progress we've made, and continue to fight for new jobs, and new opportunity, and new security for the middle class. i believe we can keep the promise of our founding -- the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, or where you love -- it doesn't matter whether you're black or white, or hispanic or asian, or native american, or young or old, or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight -- you can make it here in america if you're

willing to try. [applause] i believe we can seize this future together -- because we are not as divided as our politics suggest. we're not as cynical as the pundits believe. we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions. and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are, and forever will be, the united states of america. [applause] and together, with your help, and god's grace, we will continue our journey forward, and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. [applause] thank you, america. god bless you. god bless these united states. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

♪ ♪

[music: "we take care of our own," bruce springsteen]

>> and now, mitt romney's

concession speech, from boston. this is about five minutes. >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you, my friends. thank you so very much. [applause] thank you. thank you. thank you. i have just called president obama to congratulate him on his victory. his supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. his supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. i wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters. [applause] this is a time of great challenges for america, and i pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation. [applause] i want to thank paul ryan for

all that he has done for our campaign. [applause] and for our country. besides my wife, ann, paul is the best choice i've ever made. [applause] and i trust that his intellect and his hard work and his commitment to principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation. [applause] i also want to thank ann, the love of my life. [applause] she would have been a wonderful first lady. she's -- she has been that and more to me and to our family and to the many people that she has touched with her compassion and her care. i thank my sons for their tireless work on behalf of the campaign, and thank their wives

and children for taking up the slack as their husbands and dads have spent so many weeks away from home. [applause] i want to thank matt rhoades and the dedicated campaign team he led. [applause] they have made an extraordinary effort not just for me, but also for the country that we love. and to you here tonight, and to the team across the country -- the volunteers, the fundraisers, the donors, the surrogates -- i don't believe that there's ever been an effort in our party that can compare with what you have done over these past years. thank you so very much. thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls, for the speeches and appearances, for the resources and for the prayers. you gave deeply from yourselves and performed magnificently. and you inspired us and you

humbled us. you've been the very best we could have imagined. the nation, as you know, is at a critical point. at a time like this, we can't risk partisan bickering and political posturing. our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work. and we citizens also have to rise to the occasion. we look to our teachers and professors. we count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery. we look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family. we look to our parents, for in the final analysis everything depends on the success of our homes. we look to job creators of all kinds. we're counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward. and we look to democrats and republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics.

i believe in america. i believe in the people of america. [applause] and i ran for office because i'm concerned about america. this election is over, but our principles endure. i believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to renewed greatness. like so many of you, paul and i have left everything on the field. we have given our all to this campaign. [applause]

i so wish -- i so wish that i had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader. and so ann and i join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation. thank you, and god bless america. you guys are the best. thank you so much. thank you. thanks, guys. [applause]

>> here is a sampling of what c-

span viewers had to say about the results of the election. >> you were talking about the 47%,. i am extremely offended by that. i am 24 years old, homeless. before i lost my address, i was able to vote for obama. i am living in my car. i have been working since i was 16, paying my taxes. i am not on food stamps. i want to keep working. the cause of obama, i believe i am able to go to school, which i start in january, with the potential to go to law school. i think romney lost a lot of people in columbus because of that 47%,. >> i am really upset. i cannot believe we again got mr. obama into the white house. i am a nurse. it has been hard in the lower rio grande valley finding a job

for a lot of nurses. i feel like patients are not being seen, and so forth, due to to lot of medicare cuts. you see it. yet you go to the groceries and see ladies with their michael korda's purses -- kors purses, and they pay with their lone star card. >> i am shocked and dismayed how this man could have won again. the election -- so many people are out of work. i am an executive in this community who lost his job, who was able to find a job. there are no jobs. the woman who called before, the situation with obama, with our troops and with our embassy -- i

think he handled it improperly. i would not be surprised that there might not be an impeachment trial that starts. i think the country is more divided today than ever before. i think he was able to win because so many people have moved to the bottom side of the scale, because there is no work in this country. and it is not going to get better. >> a month to address why i believe mitt romney did not win. i think the people have realized that we do not want someone to just plain lied to our face. he was called up by obama numerous times. everybody keeps saying that obama attack him in the beginning with the offense. i do not want to call it attacking. he made the people aware. he let us know who we were

dealing with, from the gate. he gave us the opportunity to choose what would be best for us. the republican party needs to stop pointing fingers at obama, making it seem like he put us where we are. we are where we are because we cannot come together as one and half the people of america. >> everybody has a kind of cut the president down for being on ssi and social security and all of that. i broke my back 10 years ago, and i am on disability. my daughter and my wife can depend on that. i would give up everything i got right now if i could get a job, but it is not the president. it is the insurance companies that these companies have the will not hire me, because i am too high of a risk. when i go down the street, the

people that know me, the slack that i get is really uncalled for. if people would just start -- i do not know the right word. if people would start making an effort to making the world better, instead of trying to cut it down all the time, we might get somewhere. >> i am saddened today. i cannot believe the american people did not vote for a man with a proven record. so what -- he is rich. he knows what he is doing. he gave to charity. he cared about the american people. the media has failed us. that is to a blind, more than anything. i think we need to ask ourselves, and we will find out. saying he did not know he was going to be heard over the microphone -- we will find out what he meant when he talked to the russian president and said,

"wait until i am reelected and have more flexibility puzzle that is scary to me. even does a thing -- the benghazi thing, people have close ties. >> i started out as a flaming liberal four years ago. in the last analysis, when you are a liberal, it is about what your country can do for you, not what you can do for your country. what we have seen here, essentially, is putting the constitution into the scrap heap of history. the president has governed in an unconstitutional manner in so many ways i cannot even begin to start describing them to you. people have said that is fine. >> people have to realize that a lot of times our elected officials -- they say we have to be like our household.

the government is not run like our household. that is totally ridiculous for someone to use that. it is absolutely not the way the government is run. in our household, we do not have certain things available to us. the point is, we have to all think on a grander scale. the president started something that was worse than anyone thought it was. he was able to get it to where we are, just by the evenings he was able to do. the congress was not working with him. we all need to work together. >> now, an analysis of the 2012 election, and the future of both political parties. from the u.s. chamber of commerce in washington, this is about an hour.

>> thank you all for coming. we always ask for whom the bell tolls. it tolls for thee. thank you for having us back. leading authorities put our kids through school. it fed them. put clothes on. do a wonderful job. we always enjoy dealing with leading authorities. it is a fabulous speakers 0. thank you all for coming out. we have had one night of sleep. i tried to experiment this morning while shaving. i tried to put everything that was really important on one 3x5 card to boil it down. here are some actions. hopefully all of our thoughts will evolve and look more polished. to me, you look through somewhat

this year and ask, what are the important things? we had an economy that was not supposed to reelect the president. when you have 43 months of more than 8% unemployment and look at the gdp and disposal income and house networth and poverty rate, this was not an election that was intended to reelect president. that was sort of how we started off the year. then we had one party that decided to require all of its candidates for the nomination to jump off an ideological cliff. that is punctuated by that february of last year fox news debate. they asked each of the

candidates if you would take a deal that for every dollar in tax increases there would be $10 in spending cuts. not one hand goes up. you know mitt romney knows better. you know jon huntsman knows better. the other six -- [laughter] you know those two and the fact that two rational, reasonable, highly intelligent people concluded that to raise their hand would be to slash their throats for the nomination, that really tells you something. the third thing that was really important to me was that you had a campaign that decided not to define their own candidate.

you think back to the romney campaign. they won the nomination very tactically. they raised more money. they destroyed their opponents one by one. they dismantled them. but they chose, even during the nomination phase, to never tell anybody who mitt romney was. as soon as it won the nomination, i think it was one rick santorum dropped out, they decided to focus on discipline. they thought any topic that was not on obama are the economy was not worth a dollar spent. their view. that is almost a word-for-word quote from their strategists. is spent entirely until just before the convention on banging on the economy and the obama.

to a certain extent, we have an incumbent president running for re-election, it is a referendum on the incumbent. it is a referendum on the economy. but the thing about it is, you have got to define your own candidate in a way and a positive way biographical advertising and testimonial advertising. you need to make them a real, three-dimensional, trustworthy individual. think of the boy scouts. that is a general idea. that is a general thing you want to get across. you need to apply that to your candidate in order to protect them from the slime that is coming. in the romney campaign, they adamantly chose not to do that. the obama campaign, give credit where credit is due, they saw their opponent was undefined.

i sat with some focus groups. other than a romney was a republican nominee for president, rich successful businessman, maybe one added to all would know he was a mormon. other than that, they knew nothing about the guy. the obama campaign comes in and takes a baseball bat and basically beat his brains out. in the swing states, he never recovered from that. even when the first it happened, even when his numbers went up and all 50 states, they go up less in the swing states than they did in the other 40 something states. that made a huge difference.

then you saw that one campaign chose to have a fabulous job of get out the vote. both sides tried. the romney campaign did a lot. to me, campaigns are evolutionary on the two sides. look back to 2004. karl rove, terry nelson, matt dowd, they put together a fabulous state of our campaign in 2004. republicans really got it. on the other side, howard dean revolutionized the use of the web. john kerry went forward on that aspect. but boy, the bush campaign had it going. in 2008, the mccain campaign was up and down. the organization after its, what they had in 2004 was lost in 2008.

it had to be rebuilt by the romney campaign, but only after their able to get the republican nomination in april. it was late in part because of super pacs, which kept the process going much longer than it ever normally goes. as long as you and i have been watching this and before that, when a candidate started losing primaries, other donors close their checkbooks. you run out of money and you drop out of the race. what is happening is, they kept gingrinch going for a while. that is super pacs. the process went longer and longer.

romney had to go so much further and longer -- here is a guy who is probably by nature -- when we met for him when he ran for the senate in 1994, that is where he was. non-ideological, problem-solving guy. he has to run so much longer and further to the right than he ever dreamed and in part because of the super pac effort. then you had -- i guess the final thing i would say is having the economy kind of -- i do not think we are seeing a big economic turnaround, but we have the stock market moving up. we had consumer confidence that is now one measurement of that eight month high. the housing sector is showing signs of life. most importantly, consumer confidence is in the right

direction. it is a little better. we are seeing the percentage of people who think the economy is getting better has moved out. all those things together, we got what we got. before the election, i put together a sequence of states of what romney had to do. when you boil it down, yes, you look at 50-48. it's a close race. romney ended up winning all of the mccain states, but indiana. north carolina barely in. -- plus indiana. north carolina, barely. and that was it. look at the sequence of states where after north carolina, we have florida on the edge, but it looks a little bit more likely to go obama.

florida, virginia, iowa, nevada, ohio what i put him over the top. he did not get anywhere near the progression. there are a lot of things going pondweeds, but the most important thing is that republicans is that they need to do something about their brand. it is basically the center of the republican party is older, white men. that is not where this country is going. when you look at african- americans, latinos, the fastest- growing group, asian. and the obama got 71% or 72% of the asian vote.

the future does not look like the republican party. if i were the republican party, they will have to do some real soul-searching about immigration, social and cultural issues, because this is not a party design for the future. if this were a business, you would say they have an inherently flawed business model for the future. the republican party, they have four years they need because they are coming out for some candidates that are awfully exotic. [laughter] my wife got me to stop using the term "wacko." not only do they take themselves down, but they define their party in a way that keeps people who ought to be able to win from winning.

here is one last comparison. think about moderate republicans, the kind of people they need to be nominating more and more. think about the moderate republicans that ran on tuesday in blue states. think of scott brown, the former governor in hawaii, heather wilson in new mexico. they could not win because of their party's brand. and they couldn't win because of their party's brand. conversely look at moderate democrats running in very, very republican states. heidi hide acamp won. joe done -- donnelly won. this is, you know, one side's brand contaminates all of their candidates, even the ones that have no culpability whatsoever

in some of the exotic excesses of the party. and one party's not having that pulling back. yeah, we're going to hear a bunch of people with i.q.'s lower then room temperature say mitt romney lost because he wasn't conservative enough. but i think after republicans go through their seven stages of grief, and then they can get to the point where they can make some changes that that are going to need if they're going to be a party to the future. stuart? >> thanks, charlie. let me echo charlie's remarks. enjoibing here. appreciate you're here to listen to us. we're trying to say something interesting and thoughtful and novel. hours after the polls close. i think charlie did that. i hope i somehow could close to what he said. really wanted come out here. i really wanted to come out here

and say, i just heard what charlie said. there's not one thing i agree with. he's absolutely wrong about everything. because i never say that. we always agree. and i consider coming out here saying i disagree with him. the problem is, he is, of course, in general agreement here, general in sync on what happened. politics is so much about expectations and expectations has changed throughout the entire cycle. at various points if i told you that we were going into election day and it was a squeaker, you would have been surprised f i told you you that before the first presidential debate when the race opened up to five, six points, you would say no, no. after the democratic convention. al bill clinton walked out on that stage. looked at the entire audience. talked to the entire country and uttered those famous words that i think were decisive in the election, bill clinton looked at

me and he said, even i -- even i couldn't have fixed the economy in four years. [laughter] in all of his humility and modesty, when he said that, i think that was a decisive event. and then remember what happened after that old discussion with the 47%, the romney tax returns. the romney probably too quick statement after the killing of the u.s. ambassador in libya. it was at that point the edge of september, beginning of october, where i think most of us would have said you know, this race is probably going to be over after that first debate. let's say it's a draw. nobody will bother with the second debate and third debate and race will be a five, six-point race and the president will win easily. right before the election we looked back and you would have said wow, i'm surprised we're in

a close race. but if we go back even further, go back to august of last year when the economy looked to be in its worse shape and getting worse. the president's negatives were up. job approval is down. back then we would have said, how could the president possibly get re-elected with unemployment numbers like this and job approval like this. when you evaluate where we are now, really your perspective changes where we were at various points. it was a strange election. ups and downs and turns. i like to say crazy many of us -- i won't include charlie -- pundits and political analysts and observers and wise people who w.h.o. have tchon is wrong. >> speak for yourself. [laughter] >> i just said i'm not including you. i'm not including you. this is an election -- think about it. this was an election year where herman cain led the race for the republican nomination for ten days. that's impossible, right?

that could never happen. nobody expected the convention to be decisive. they're never decisive. they're orchestrated. planned. we watch went know it's kind of like the oscars or country music awards. nothing will happen and it happens. a lot of people said debates won't matter. of course, the first debate was decisive. fundamentally redefined mitt romney. charlie is right. the president's campaign is terrific defining romney early on, broadly as rich guy who's out of touch. he didn't have a plan or no specifics. he was artificial. the problem is when he campaigns, presidential campaign, the voters actually get to see the candidates and in the debates, the voters feel that they're seeing the real person.

and romney, the way he appeared, was not the way he had been defined and suddenly the race changed again. we had the strange upand down race that -- up and down race that ended in close to a tie. 50-49 this morning? i that make sense. wouldn't be shocking. and yet, if you were a republican voter, and don't know why i think there might be a republican voter in this room -- [laughter] -- right what does that say? >> right there. >> he's not a republican. former party hack. [laughter] so if you're a republican voter, sympathizer, you have a little -- you don't have a pleasant taste in your mouth after the election. i mean, we certainly had a mixed

result here, split decision. republicans continue to hold the house. democrats continue to hold the senate. adding a couple seats. the president won just very narrowly 50/48, 50/49. mitt romney made significant in-roads among many groups, not all groups but many groups. younger voters. white men, white women. number of constituencies improving his showing. yet if qure a republican, there's a feeling of -- if not outright defeat, it didn't go well. if you're a democrat, there is a sense of optimism and hopefulness. even though we had a 50/50 race. a lot is about expectations. all right, so we've had three wave elections in a row. i think one thing we can agree on, this is not a wave election. seems to me this is an election where the bases held and where the broad divisions in american

political life became apparent. if i said to you, exactly what was this election about, first of all, you want to look at the congressional level and look at the presidential level. but there were two broad, different views of government i think and whether government is helpful or hurtful, whether government can and should be more active, whether there's too much government and government ought to get out of the way and let the free market work its -- its magic. creating more jobs and growth and opportunity. but of the campaign, right? exactly what charlie talked about. the early ads in the swing states. get out the vote. on the broad themes, presidential race split about 50/50. i think it did, however, show a slight advantage to the

democrats and it has to do with this demographic shift. i remember when i came to washington in the 1980, people were writing arm -- i wrote an article for -- i wrote an article for -- remember that -- was it public opinion magazine? >> yeah, yeah. >> on the lock. the electoral lock, that there was a republican electoral lock. i think you're probably going to see people starting to write about a democratic electoral lock due to these changing demme combraffics -- demographics. hispanic numbers tipped up and we're seeing an electorate where the democrats are doing well among of an americans. hispanics. asians, younger voters and white liberals. now that needle appeared to have moved slightly to the democrats so that if you have a kind of

normal base selection, the democrats have a very slight advantage. i think most people will say we will continue to grow over time unless the republicans do something to make inroads among what now are becoming core democratic constituencies. at least some. if you look at the house races, you have to be cautious about the big message you're drawing. yes, the democrats gained what looks to me, we don't have time results, my count about eight house seats. half their games have to do with come from illinois and california and largely redistricting gains. democrats made small gains in the house but controls still control the house. what would you say was the democrats' message this election cycle in terms of issues or policy? yeah, they talked about republican extremism. but wasn't their message two-prong message at the congressional level?

it also reflected in the presidential. wasn't their message two-pronged. one, medicare. two, the ryan budget. that was basically the democrats' message. the republicans are for millionaires. look at the ryan budget. tax cuts for millionaires and cut programs for the middle class and medicare is one of the examples. and the ryan budgets chose different priorities p republicans' priorities are wrong. that message did not really work. it's not a decisive win at the house level for that message. think of this, my editor, who mentioned this to me as i was going out the door last night, we had three major house special elections over the last couple of years. one in pennsylvania, when john murtha's seat became open.

one in new york when chris lee, sending videos of shirtless photos left off in update new york. third, when the arizona seat opened up after congresswoman giffords stepped down after the horrible shooting. she was replaced by congressman barber. the democrats won all three of those special elections and in each and every case, they said they won because of medicare. somebody say medicare? that's what it was, medicare. then what the democrats said was, we're going to use that as a template for winning in the 2012 election. didn't work at the congressional

level. when we look at the exit polls and we see why people voted and how they voted. sometimes it's not so simple. exit polls have very strange results. i will just do a couple of these. is the country headed in the right direction or seriously off on the wrong track. right direction or off on the wrong track? right direction 46. wrong track 52. keep that number in mind. wrong track 52. what kind of job has barack obama done as president? approve or disapprove? i have the approve here. the approve is 54%. 54%. did you notice that? 54%. i have not seen a 54% job approval for the president in a long time. ok. 52% of the country thinks the country is headed seriously off on the wrong track and 54 approve of the president's performance. you put those numbers together. the only way you can put those numbers together is another question that i think was significant for barack obama,

and it hurt mitt romney. who is to blame for the current economic problems. they gave a choirks the president or george bush? 38% said president barack obama. 53% said george bush. i think -- this goes back to bill clinton. folks, even i couldn't have solved this problem. it's all george bush's fault. i think the president and his team still got a lot of mileage out of the bush years and out of george bush's -- the public concluded was his failings or short comings, whatever. you don't to agree by the way that he failed or had short comings. you decide for yourself. i'm telling you what the public thinks. that's what matters now. i think the lessons coming out

of this election is that i think charlie's right, i think the lesson coming out of this is that the public now is inclined to favor the democrats and republicans need to do something to change their message, to change their reputation, to change their image. i think generally charlie is right with what he said about the republicans being extreme toon ideological. i think that's true. i think it's also the case the republicans have north problem. it's that the democratic base as a particular world view and set of assumptions and values that increasingly in a polarized environment makes it difficult for thome vote for scott brown and others. the problem with the republicans they're based, ideologically driven voters, tea party folks but part of the republican base

is open for democrats then democratic base is voting for republicans, i believe. i'm sure we can chew this over. let me give you an example. let me give you an example. heidi hide camp -- hidecamp, terrific candidate in north dakota. mitt romney won north dakota by 20, 21 points. heidi was able to overcome that. it's true that she -- the president won north dakota slightly less then mid-romney won north dakota slightly less then the president won massachusetts. but i think the republican coalition includes kind of a soft, swing voters who is inclined to vote republican but more willing to vote for democrats. jim mathisson surviving in utah is amazing.

amazing. john barrio in georgia, yes, the republicans candidate against him was horrendous. when the last time you heard a challenger refused to debate the incumbent? [laughter] >> you have to know yourself. i'm not saying it's a bad decision. i'm saying it says something about the challenger. this is an additional problem. i think it's easier for moderate, centrist democrats democrats to repeal to republican voters then it is for moderate, centrist republicans to appeal to democratic voters. this is probably a good subject we can argue. let's take a few and open up q. & a. a lot of stuck to talk about.

and there's dealing with taxes and sequestration and fiscal push. i talked to one republican media consultant the other day who said to me, you know, i think there's a chance if obama wins comfortably with the electoral college went underperform in the house or senate, including republicans underperformed in the senate, every swing or toss-up race, tilting race went democratic as charlie said in the presidential, every swing talk went democratic. kind of magnifying the outcome. this consultant said before the election, if something like that happens, i think republican folks will give a little bit on taxes because republican members of congress are just tired of being hammered for being for millionaires and billionaires.

in the short term there's an opportunity to address some of the issues including large defense cuts and across the board cuts and deficit issues in short term. but still count me as a skeptic in the long term, on the bigger question on taxes and spending and entitlements. because the way the political system has developed the way the parties are, sure, tuesday night it was -- we're all in this together. boehner comes out the next day, yeah, we can work this out, over time -- over time the reality is still two very different parties with very different values with very different constituencies and when a republican starts to get too squishy or a democrat starts to move too much to the

middle, they got pounded on sean hannity, rush limbaugh, ed schultz and rachel maddow. and if they start to move too much to the middle, increasingly you will see groups on the left like this. i started seeing earlier in this year, getting e-mails from the pccc -- progressive change campaign committee, which looked and saw success of 2010 on the right. we can do same thing on the left. there's more and more movement on the extremes demanding parties party faith tolve stay faithful and part officeholders and primaries and republicans have to figure out a way to avoid todd akins and, frankly, richard murdoches.

obviously, christine o'donnells. i looked at the exit, no increase in the witch vote this election. witch vote? >> the which vote? >> witch vote, christine o'donnell vote. ok. [laughter] you know is, republicans had like five seats, although the last two cycle where's they have sacrificed the seat by nominating sharon engle and christine o'donnell and now the two this time. and republicans will have to figure out how to do this. and it's very difficult because when the republican senate campaign committee gets involved in primaries, they're attacked as washington trying to manipulate or tell folks in the individual state who to nominate and if they don't get involved, they don't play a role and they just have to outside groups come in and spend significantly and give them lousy nominees. so i do think the republicans

will be going through a period here of some soul searching, trying to figure out how they can appeal to african-american voters. how they can appeal to asian-american voters, how they can appeal to hispanic voters. look what happened in utah. mia love, right? mia love, you-alove. mia love, primetime speaking slot at the republican convention. she was this terrific recruit, african-american woman. haitian immigrants, immigrant story. wow. and shends up losing. the party clearly will be looking for other candidates, new candidates, no, i will not talk about 2016 but have you to think that combroib jindal will continue to be visible and more visible. marco rubio, i don't know, suzanna martinez, the party needs to change. zms are in the very comfortable position now. i think long term politically where they have demographics on

their side. as long as they don't go too far left, they will start off with a slight advantage. having said that, this is a crazy political environment. a lot of the political rules as i started off saying have been thrown out. so more than anything else, i advise you to expect the unexpected. not just next two, three months but next five, six years until the country does decide one a or another that it's going to choose between two grand visions. i think i will stop there and take questions, comments or arguments. >> can i -- i just wanted to add one thing. i know people -- charlie said i can't. i want to add one exit question, which comes close in your view, government should do more to solve problems or government is doing too much things better left to business and individuals? we've seen this question asked over the years, right? government doing too much,

government doing too many things better left to business and individuals. have you seen this exit question this year? the responses, i would say the answer, the responses from public, government should do more to solve problems, 43. government is doing too many things better left to business and individuals, 51. if i gave you that question, wouldn't you think mitt romney would have won the election? in fact, a quarter of the people who said government is doing too many things better left to business and individuals, a quarter of the people who said that votes for the president. >> all right. it's quarter after 9:00. we're going to go to quarter of 10:00. we have a lot of questions. if you can identify yourselves, bring open the microphone. the conventional wisdom is washington is dysfunctional and relationships don't count as much as they once did. but it was sort of amazing to

tack a look at the electoral map from alabama to texas and texas up to montana. and that was solid red to look at states like oklahoma, where two-thirds of the voters voted for romney and massachusetts where two-thirds of the voters were for obama. it's hard to believe how we will get there in terms of compromise when the voters in those states represented by republicans and by democrats in their states are still partisan. >> yes. >> you know, i think stu and i was talking during the breakfast with someone about when you create these ideological echo chambers in each party, it just makes it very, very difficult. it sounds like good chance nancy pelosi is stepping aside. so we don't know whether steny hoyer will move up or whether they move down to a generational thing. you think well, gosh, hoyer and

boehner, they can go in a room and they're not two more rational people in congress. and yet could either one of them make a deal stick within their caucuses? and even if mcconnell and reid tried to put something together, they both have pretty exotic people on their side and so, no, you're absolutely right. and toss in one more factor, that you have got all of the dysfunction on capitol hill and then you have a president that basically has no relationship whatsoever with congress on either side. basically no interaction with members of congress. >> let me add, first of all, i don't agree with anything -- no,

i agree with everything charlie just said. the key may be whether the president shows decisive leadership. don't know what you all think or charlie thinks. i don't think decisive leadership necessarily is what he showed a lot of the time in the first term. it's not that he didn't show any leadership. i mean he stated that general position, suggestions, ideas, philosophies, health care reform. but he didn't get his hands really dirty. republican the public options fight. if you send it to me, i will sign it. you know, he let nancy pelosi take the lead on the public option and a lot of things. we knew where he stood. we knew what he preferred but he didn't twist arms. he didn't seem to get involved in the details. is he going to do that now?

if he does that, is he going to just, republicans have to come to me or leadership is going to your own party and saying, ok, i will bring you along. he has his own party then he will telling michele bachmann what to do or telling ted cruz what to do, right? is he going to do that? i think that's an interesting question. i agree with charlie, he's even limited to what he can do, justice boehner and democratic leadership is limited to what they can do by the broader political environment. >> let me head this one more time. maybe i'm sensitive to this because you read -- everyone in this room should read the fourth volume on lyndon johnson. you should have already read the

first three. but the fourth one -- and it is available on c.d.'s. 26 c.d.'s long and if you're curious how long that takes, that's the drive from washington, d.c. to tampa, florida, where he they had a republican convention to charlotte where democrats had their convention, ft. bragg, back to charlotte, washington. that's 26 c.d.'s. but -- [laughter] -- i have this image of lyndon johnson spinning in his grave at the idea there's a president of the united states who has minimal interaction with congress. and particularly someone of his own party. when you -- you don't -- let's forget republicans. let's forget tea party people. let's forget that. just in his own party, wander around the hill as all of you do all the time and ask democratic members of congress how much

personal interaction do you have with the president? ly have to -- i hate giving political credit for anything. but they had that piece back in may that pointed out the president as of may when that article was written had not had a single conversation this year with either kit conrad, chairman of the senate budget committee or tom harkin, chairman of the health, education, labor and pension committee. phone or in person, this year. now, you could talk about tea party and obstructionists and this and that. if you're not talking the compeem in your own party, and i checked with mark knoller, cbs radio who is a national institution, unofficial historian, contemporary presidency. president played golf 104 times. you know how many members of congress played golf with him? two. john boehner once and jim

clyburn twice. that's it. i think there were 40 basketball games that are known and he played, there were ten members in one game and that's it. and go around -- go around to members -- there are democratic house offices of not freshmen or sophomore that's have never had a single white house official walk across the threshold. and now let's say the president is 100% committed to getting a bunt deal through, a grand bargain. but have you to ask yourself, even if his intentions are absolutely the best and even if he's absolutely committed to it, he is going to have to change the whole way he operates 100%. a democratic lobbyist friend of mine said the motto of the white house seems to be no new friends. [laughter] and so i mean i'm the long-term

optimist and short-term pessimist. but we will see. >> and the difference between bill clinton and barack obama is bill clinton wants any new friend he could find and that's part of the reason he was so successful politically and this president has a different way of operating. >> we're going to try to do speed questions and speed answers so we can get to lot of these questions. susan? >> good morning, susan neely. first, i caution you on the herman cain because there are a number of us in the room who thought gosh, head of the association could be a viable contender. >> i think the form prers to restaurant association rather then president of the use. >> i was going to say, he can do ten days, don sweeney will go the distance and i will give her my check right now. my question relates to republican governors out there, a lot in blue states. obviously, the republican brand is working or it's a different version of the brand that's being presented out there that's

allowing trops basically control most of the states. what do you think the difference is? >> distance. distance from washington and distance from the national party. you know, the thing is, it's funny. you know, you can obviously look at any election in a couple different ways. i think republicans could take comfort in knowing romney lost 60-49. let's spin around and look at it another way. die fined a couple months ago 11 swing states. republicans carried exactly what? romney carried exactly 1 out of 11. he basically won would john mccain won and indiana, which nobody considered a swing state plus north carolina. you you could 1 out of 11 and then senate toss-ups n our category we had 10 toss-up senate races and republicans lost nine out of ten.

i have to say this because i think senator cornyn and all of the folks, i think he's one of the more talented campaign committees i have ever seen. two cycles in a row, they've had the worse luck. i use luck in a broad term because a lot of it was what stu talked about a little while ago. when your party nominates people who are so exotic that they have little or no chance of winning general elections that ought to be very winnable, i'm sorry, that's not something that a campaign committee can do anything about. and as stu said, you have party bosses from washington dictating who our candidates are going to be or do you allow yourself to be at the mercy of a bunch of wackos? >> exotic.

>> two quick responses, a whole bunch republican governors were elected in 2010. republican wave year against barack obama, stimulus, chrysler , bank takeovers. they ran at the right time. the other answer is no matter how part accident the state, they will send the opposite party to the state house, state mansion and won't send them to d.c. the governor in rhode island and massachusetts, bob ehrlich won in maryland and democrats get elected in sullivan, wyoming, sa bayless and kansas n. some of the most republican states. federal government is different. democrats don't want to send a republican to d.c. and i think those republicans governors actually splay lucked out when they're up against next time in 14, they will probably be able to run against the fatigue of a

second obama administration. but don't that i says something necessarily as fundamental as timing. >> take a look how close mike pence got elected governor in indiana. that should have been -- >> yeah. like four points, wasn't it? >> yeah. >> it should have been 12, 15. >> big article in "the washington post" today on independent and business expenditures, particularly in the fall election. what do you think? >> stu, what did you think? >> mark, you know where we are? you're asking me that here? i looked at the article, happened to look at the article. i guess my view is this, so much money in the political system. it was a wash, campaigns. billion dollars in tv ads tv ads, first of all there's a question, the quality of ads. that's a question to ponder and discuss. then the question is, just the

sheer weight of ads. most important campaigns, one side has huge financial advantage, gross points advantage and this time so many ads in so many states, i think they were devalued. what moved the election? debate, news event. bill clinton saying -- >> what was the "times" piece where they had their 73,000 television ad in the las vegas market. i think you have a lot of business folks wanted to invest in a -- in something to help the republican party, they would open field offices. some of the obama field offices never closed after '08. you know, maybe contemplate

something like that because stu's absolutely right, the saturation level of advertising where people i think in swing states, you had two kinds of people. people that literally hit the muse button every time a political ad came on and people that mentally hit the mute button every time a political ad came on. >> i think we have a question in the rear there. >> morning, matt scanlan from the investment company institute. romney was pret canny far from an ideal candidate and the president on the upswing but congress's ratings are if not historical low, pretty darn low. and there wasn't a whole lot of turnover in the house. was there a reason why we didn't see more churning in the house? >> well, the cliche is rather then having voters pick the elected officials, we have elected officials picking their voters. and the redistricting process

has successfully insull aughted so many members of congress where the only re-election concerns they have are winning their own primaries next time. and so when the primary concern you have if you're a democrat looking over your left shoulder, worrying about a primary next time and democratic primary challenge or republican, biggest re-election chall empling looking over your right shoulder and anticipating a possible conservative challenge in the next primary. you know, most of these people, it's pretty hard to imagine what they might have to do to lose re-election. but it involves barnyards and animals. >> i no longer look at it.

it has no relevance to elections. i don't know why they show the figures anymore. >> bill bray, london, all lost on the basis of redistricting. >> not mack. not going back to your district makes a difference. >> that does. >> coming more and more hispanic. another arthur finkelstein special. let me say part b -- he's right. only way you get 12% congressional job approval or 10% is if republicans and democrats give low ratings to the institution. but that doesn't mean republicans are going to vote on republican candidates. republicans blame democrats. democrats blame the republicans. i think charlie is right. that numbers shows awe lack of confidence in the government and institution and dissatisfaction with congressman or whatever but it doesn't predict the vote. >> i think we have a question

right over here. >> good morning. steve, charlie. you both mentioned demographics. if republicans today is the party of grumpy old white men living in the modern family in america, what is the path forward, particularly related to hispanic vote? >> i would say first and, you know, i tend to think of myself, i'm a businessman. as sympathetic with the business community. i think the business community has not taken a leadership role on the immigration issue. and finding realistic, reasonable compromises and selling it within the republican party and getting some of the more exotic opinion leaders in talk radio people to shut the hell up. so i think part of it when you're a whole stop digging and republican party needs to, number one. address the immigration issue

and stop alienating latino voters. don't think we will ever see appreciable number of puerto ricans ever voting republican. but with mexican americans and cubans already do. with mexen americans, as mex kane-americans' incomes rise, their willingness to vote republican goes up. and yeah, when you have waiting voices in the party and romney i think is one of the worse -- if you were going to say what were the two worst substantive zwigses mitt -- decisions mitt romney made, one auto bailout. and compounding the primary last summer when he spurned marco rubio's dream act compromised. that's number one. number two, just shut up on social/cultural issuesment conservative evangelical christians will not be voting democratic any time soon.

i think they need to deliver that message and private, quietly and get the heck away from that. i think if they do too, let me -- how many times in the course of a year do all of you hear someone say, well, i consider myself an economic conservative but. and you fill in the rest of the sentence. and there's a boat load of voters that the republican party is basically pushing away. and that mentality leads to you people making todd aiken kind of statement and people making the kind of richard murdoch kind of statement. and it's kind of like a her matekly -- hermetically sealed party that perpetuates and encourages this kind of talk that in normal society is actually unacceptable. and you can't have that. >> i think it's a little harder

then what charlie's suggesting. should a state legally recognize same-sex marriage? yes, 49%, no, 46%. that's a dramatic change 20, 30 years ago. think what the response would have been 20, 30 years ago. problems with the republicans is a huge chunk of the party is culturally conservative, highly religious voters. i'm not sure it's yies to dismiss culture -- easy to dismiss cultural issues. turnout, getting the base energized and enthusiastic is crucial. i think republicans are kind of caught between a rock and hard place. i think they need to somehow be seen as more tolerant on these issues. but don't know how much wiggle room they have short term. i it's interesting. charlie has generally the right direction. it's not so easy to get there. hispanics, i would have liked to have seen whether any difference, any difference -- we

won't know. we can speculate, mark marco rubio would be on the ticket. i just think -- >> put mccuban on the ticket. that's like saying i will suck up to the irish vote. i will get an englishman. [laughter] >> for this reason -- it would have at least conveyed the sense of a broader republican party. you know, it's true, isn't it, paul ryan looked like one of mitt's kids? right? it didn't convey a sense of diversity or -- republicans are knee jerk inherently opposed to diversity. that is absolutely the case. one of the republican -- actually not in the platform but republicans have a knee jerk reaction to that. multiculture and opposing diversity on us, no way. but i think the party needs a different look.

different spokesman and people out there. you're right, cubans and mexican-americans and puerto ricans. of course. but i think they need to present a different look. >> sarah palin? in the back there. >> good morning. eric schultz, american congressional observation. among the political phenomenons that intrigues me the most i think ticket splitting seems to interest me a lot. i wanted to get your thoughts on that. just looking some of the results. metropolitan elected democratic governor and senator and president only got 42%. in missouri, nixon and macaskill, both democrats got 55% and obama topped out at 44% and lost every county except jefferson and st. louis and st. louis city. in west virginia, they elected

democratic governor, democratic senator, including re-electing mansion, who got 61% and yet the president topped out at 36%. that's 25% difference between mansion and president's vote in west virginia. i wanted to get your comments on, ticket in general and then maybe west virginia. >> you have three different things in two different situations. in missouri, let's face it, talk aidan contaminated the environment and made it very, very hard for -- i think it didn't represent other republicans in the state and nationally for that matter. the thing is in places like montana and west virginia, when you vp democrats that could have told you on january 1 -- i'm sorry, january -- could have told you four years ago that

that president obama will be a liability in my state -- i'm not going to have to put. there will be no lack of distance between me and him at any point. it's not like they had been cozying up to him and then up -- the picture that republicans had of joe mansion and president obama together, only one reason they could get the picture. because they had to be at the same funeral. that's the only reason that picture existed because there's not a second picture of them together. so these guys had a lot of notice to create a lot of distance and able to do it. >> i have other examples i can give you. richard tessier in mass chute. pro gay marriage, pro-choice, fiscally conservative but moderate stylistic republican lost, expect, because of party

line voting in the state. yes, scott brown ran ahead of his presidential nominee. but he couldn't run far enough ahead. the fact to say he lost to john tyranny when john tyranny's wife's relatives, significant number are either under investigation or i don't know indictment or maybe even more is stunning. andrew roar bach -- roar back, chris murphy district in the northwestern part of the state, pro-gay marriage, pro-choice, moderate republican who came in to do -- when he did the interview said, i want to be the test of whether there's -- whether there's room for the old-style moderate republicans from the northeast lost 52% to 48% in the in a district that's competitive district. there was some ticket splitting

in those but not enough. so i think there were more of those districts. you picked out specific examples. >> we have seen more than we used to so the trend is the opposite way. can you always find some examples in the trend? of course, you always can. but the general trend, we're voting in a more parliamentary way in this country then we used to. >> unfortunately our time is up. i would like to thank charlie and stu very much. >> thank you. [applause] i also would like to thank the chamber for great partnership and our sponsors today. if you could please fill out that survey and hand it to the leading authorities' representative. time word on december 14, leading authorities will host our final conversations with power program and night studio at the museum and topic will be

fiscal. thank you very much. have a great day. >> on c-span tomorrow, roger daltrey and pete townshend from the who will talk about childhood and young adult cancer and their program at ucla. our coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. eastern. followed by prime minister david cameron's spetch on foreign policy at the annual lord mayor 's man quet. this will be the third time speaking before the banquet since becoming prime minister in 2010. join us for his remarks at 3:30 p.m. eastern. and then later at georgetown university, musician and activist bono talks about social enterprise and social movements like his project red campaign. our coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern.

now a discussion about the results of the 2012 election with media research president brent bozell, coordinator for the tea party patriots and president of the susan b. anthony list. from the press club, this is about 40 minutes. >> good afternoon. thank you for coming. my name is richard vigory, chairman of the conservative.q.com. i will speak for a few minutes and introduce five nationally known, recognized conservative leaders. and we will each talk for a little bit and then we will open it for q & a. battle to take over the republican party begins today. and the failed republican leadership should resign. out of last night's disaster comes good news, however. conservatives are saying never again are we going to nominate a

big government establishment republican for president. what's more, we won't have to. conservatives now have a deep bench of new national leaders and potential presidential candidates. last night's election of small government constitutional conservatives such as ted cruz, jeff flake, debbie fisher to the senate and the election of conservative mike pence has governor of indiana, election of other boat rockers to the house poe tend yesterday's defeat will spell the end of big government republicanism. these people will join such small government constitutional conservatives as wisconsin governor scott walker, louisiana governor bobby jindal, senators jim demint, rand paul, mike lee, marco rubio and pat toomey. virginia's attorney general and 50 odd members of the house who stood for conservative principles and voted against a

debt ceiling deal. republicans never, ever win the presidency unless they nationalize the election around conservative principles in a conservative agenda. we don't always win nationalized elections but we never win unless the last presents two world views. and romney failed to do that. in choosing to ignore the conservative agenda, romney chose not to follow the najh led to republicans winning the white house seven out of the last 11 elections. republican national chairman reese previous, senatorial committee chairman john cornyn, senate republican leader mitch mcconnell and speaker john boehner and other republican leaders behind the epic election failure 2012 should be replaced with leaders more in tune with the conservative base of the republican party. like wise, in any logical university establishment, republican candidates -- excuse me -- consultants such as karl

rove, ed gillespie, romney campaign senior advisers, stuart stevens and pollster neil knew house would never be hired to run or consult on a national campaign again and no one would give a dime to their ineffective super pacs such as american crossroads. mitt romney's loss was the death rattle of the establishment of the republican party. far from signaling the rejection of the tea party or grass roots conservatives, disaster of 2012 signals the beginning of the battle to take overtime republican party and opportunity to establish the g.o.p. as the party of small government and constitutional. conservatism. now we will hear from brent bozell, chairman of for america. >> thank you, richard. good afternoon. i am also the founder and president of the media research center. today i'm not going to comment on the appreciation other then

to say that nothing personal but your profession was aproshese this year. and the question really is to what degree did you have an impact in the atrociousness and we don't know. we have a poll on the field than will tell us. it will also tell us what will happen as a result of that so we will have more to say later. i'm coming as founder and chairman of for america. how is it so many republican and conservative pundits had it wrong last night? virtually every poll showed obama winning or within striking distance of virtually every battleground state. noonan, hannity, bozell and so many others so wrong? perhaps it's because so many of us simply could not fathom that the united states was so willing also choose the path to destruction. one could argue in '08, america didn't know what she was buying. not so this year.

obama's record and agenda were there for all america to see. surely this time american wouldn't buy it, we felt. but somehow enough of us did and we have to ask ourselves how did this happen? some of us argued from the start that this would either be obama by a hair or romney in a land slide. and for good reason. in politics, there are two irrefutable truths. first, the finer be defined. he who succeeds at projection in scombroketting of his opponent the negative perception and himself the positive one wins. given obama's atrocious record in his first term, arguably the worst performance in modern history and given he had nothing to offer for the next four years except more of the same, it should have been a cake walk for romney to define him but romney didn't, hence obama's victory. second, it's a virtue surety when republicans distinguish themselves from democrats, they win. when they run as democrat-like, there's a simple reason for this they lose. -- democrats always run to the

left end of the political spectrum. public so you port recovers around 20%. republicans have always enjoyed support of conservatives and that number is at least double the number of liberals. hence you support conservative agenda, you win. obama did not support the conservative agenda, neither did mitt romney, tend of the day conservatives were left out in the cold. it should have been land slide for romney had he embraced truly conservative agenda. romney is moderate on the campaign of a bizarre defense from the outset. republicans performed even more dismally if that is possible. for the past four years and emphatically for the past two, we conservatives had been telling the republicans in congress that they would find -- they have been telling us they would choose to fight, quote, when we take the senate in 2012. time and again we conservatives warned the senate leadership that when was if and if would

never materialize unless republicans took the fights to democrats and gave conservatives a tron galvanize behind him. we were ignored. time and again we expressed to the house leadership symbolic, meaningless votes are useless. only an agenda to address the looming and titlement crisis that threatens to bankrupt us while ridding the america of the unnecessary, like pbs and npr, immorme like planned parenthood, and inefficient, like most everything else, would suffice. and they should honor their solemn commitments. we suggested for good measure they demand an embrace to the return of constitutional governance. we were told in response that, quote, when we take the senate, unquote, all things would be done. then they fumigated the room and we left. the end result was predictable -- the when evaporated months ago when it became clear the senate g.o.p. was going to do nothing. they projected six, seven,

eight-seat pickups. that disappeared. accomplished instead the impossible. they lost two seats. not one democratic incumbent was defeated. it's time for conservatives to say enough of this. it's time for conservatives to withhold any further support, financial or otherwise, from the republican party. unless and until the g.o.p. reearns it. to do so the following commitments must be made by them. one, a refusal to participate in any lame duck session that further advances the left democratic agenda. second, at its earlier opportunity a vote to defund obama care as well as every other government boondoggle it has committed to terminate, from planned parenthood to pbs. third, a pledge not to raise any taxes on the rich or middle class or anyone else. four, aggressively support a cut four, aggressively support a cut cap